The present invention relates to a filter assembly for filtering substances from a pure or colloidal solution under pressure.
A problem associated with filtering a solution under pressure is that if trapped air or gas is present in the filtering chamber, this can substantially reduce or lock the flow through the filter unit. In some instances, the prior art has attempted to provide features which can remove trapped air from the filtering chamber. These methods have usually been limited to simply allowing air to escape in an uncontrolled manner. However, since the solution to be filtered is under pressure, this can result in having the solution to be filtered squirt out of the chamber causing a mess, potential contamination of the surrounding area and possibly affect the results of the filtering process being conducted.
Applicants have invented an improved filter assembly whereby means are provided for efficiently removing trapped gas in a controlled manner from within the filtering chamber.